Kolter pioneered the use of genetic analysis to understand how bacteria colonize surfaces and establish communities called biofilms. Biofilms are common not only in nature, but can also play important roles in human disease.

Kolter’s work contributed significantly to the concept of biofilm formation as a developmental process, with progression through discrete stages from single cell attachment to elaborate multicellular 3-D structures, with cells in different locations within the biofilm serving different functions.